After Amma: AIADMK struggles to fill the void left by Jayalalitha india news

New Delhi: Almost a decade later J Jayalalithaadeath of, AIADMK Still trying to find myself again. Once united with Amma’s towering power, the party has spent years battling leadership struggles, electoral setbacks and changing alliances, even as it prepares for another high-stakes assembly election in 2026.On Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary, the question looms large: has the AIADMK really moved beyond the void she left behind, or is it still searching for a leader who can restore its lost dominance?The AIADMK, once a dominant force under the leadership of Jayalalithaa as party supremo, wielded significant influence in the political landscape of the state. But how has the party reshaped itself since her death, and dealt with the internal strife over Tamil Nadu’s leading lady’s rightful political successor following her demise in 2016?From giving a major blow to the Vajpayee government, to its checkered relationship with the saffron party, and now continuing with a carefully considered alliance for the upcoming elections despite recent setbacks, with a mention PM ModiIt is impossible to ignore Amma’s AIADMK in ‘Mann Ki Baat’, whether BJP is weak or politically influential.

“Remembering Jayalalitha ji on her birth anniversary. She has carved a place in the hearts and minds of countless people as a charismatic leader and excellent administrator. Her life’s journey was filled with immense grit and determination. As Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, she advocated welfare-driven governance with an emphasis on women empowerment, social justice and inclusive growth. She was both compassionate and decisive. I remember my interactions with her with great pleasure.”Tamil Nadu heads towards assembly elections to be held in the summer of 2026, the second such election without Jayalalitha’s strong presence. 2021 assembly elections have given a big blow to AIADMKThe party suffered a major defeat at the hands of DMK leader and son of M Karunanidhi. mk stalin. After Amma’s strong leadership left the void unfilled as the party grappled with contenders from within, Edappadi Palaniswami, popularly known as EPS, is now in the role of captain of the AIADMK ship, with a firm eye on the Chennai chair.

Senior party leaders immediately after Jayalalithaa’s death Hey PanneerselvamPopularly known as OPS assumed the post of Chief Minister. However, he was far away and, given Amma’s huge personality and broad charm, was unable to fill her place completely.His gravitas and unmatched public relations, developed over years in public life, attracted huge crowds on the streets when he was buried along with his political mentor and AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran at Chennai’s prestigious Marina Beach.

After Amma, senior party leader OPS got an easy access to Jayalalitha’s chair, but not for long. Within less than a year he was demoted. In February 2017, EPS reached the top position. Months later, OPS began serving as Deputy Chief Minister under his new boss, this time not Jayalalitha, but a man from the rival faction within the party, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who is a few years younger than him.The EPS-OPS relationship started to become strained as both the AIADMK stalwarts engaged in an ugly duel, gradually making the rival DMK look stronger and eventually paving the way for MK Stalin to claim the chief minister’s chair from a strong position. Meanwhile, the AIADMK leadership is embroiled in a legal battle, with EPS and OPS each denying the other authority to stake claim to the party’s key post – the post of general secretary.The dispute between the two stalwarts was taken up by the Madras High Court and later the Supreme Court, both of which ultimately ruled that EPS was a more suitable leader for the AIADMK, leading to the expulsion of O Panneerselvam.

However, Amma’s death did not immediately pit EPS and OPS against each other. The real players at the center of the initial power struggle were the Sasikala family. Sasikala, a close aide of Tamil Nadu’s most powerful woman, was often described by some as Jayalalitha’s shadow and by others as her friend. Yet it was the then Chief Minister and party chief, Jayalalitha, who spoke most kindly about Sasikala, describing her as “almost like a sister”.“After Amma’s demise, Sasikala was immediately unanimously elected as the acting General Secretary of the AIADMK and soon thereafter she was elected as the leader of the Assembly, but the then Chief Minister OPS rebelled against Sasikala and told that she was forced to resign from the post of CM of Tamil Nadu, thereby bringing a new twist in the politics of the state.Sasikala also made her nephew TTV Dhinakaran the deputy general secretary of the party. Dhinakaran, who later began leveraging Amma’s legacy for political currency, eventually formed his own party after the EPS-led AIADMK expelled Sasikala from the organization. He established a new organization – Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) in the name of Jayalalithaa.After being convicted in the disproportionate assets case involving Jayalalithaa, Sasikala was sentenced to four years in jail and lodged in Bengaluru Central Jail. Before starting his jail term, he appointed EPS as the AIADMK legislature party leader, paving the way for him to assume the post of Chief Minister.

Later in a dramatic turn, EPS expelled Sasikala family members from the party and also removed OPS from key positions, consolidating its control over the AIADMK.After sidelining big leaders like former CM Panneerselvam and eliminating the Sasikala faction, the EPS has strengthened its hold on the party command. He now continues to establish himself as the undisputed leader of the AIADMK, aspiring to reclaim the top post in the state and challenge the leadership of incumbent MK Stalin.

However, on the occasion of her birth anniversary on Tuesday, Sasikala also floated the idea of ​​starting her own party, another attempt to invoke Amma Jayalalithaa’s name and legacy as a political currency.

Speaking to reporters, Sasikala said, “Today is Amma’s birthday programme. We are organizing a program for his birthday in which good news will come.

In Amma’s last elections in Tamil Nadu, her control over many seats diminished significantly, leading to a decline in the number of seats won in the 2011 elections. Yet Jayalalitha was able to steer her boat past the magic number mark of majority – 118 out of 234 seats, – with the Amma-led party securing 136 seats, without any alliance support, not even with the BJP – a national party that has had a sour relationship with Jayalalitha’s AIADMK.Under the leadership of Jayalalitha, the AIADMK won the assembly elections and created history by becoming the first ruling party in Tamil Nadu to return to power with a simple majority since 1984.This was the last election contested by J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi, as the latter died in 2016 and 2018 respectively.

During the Lok Sabha elections, AIADMK faced its biggest setback in the 39-seat battleground of Tamil Nadu. Following the defeat of its leading lady, the party was reduced to just one seat, a stark contrast to the spectacular victory of 37 seats it had achieved under Amma’s leadership in 2014 – clearly highlighting the impact of Jayalalitha’s absence.However, the AIADMK was in alliance with the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which won a landslide victory at the national level and returned to power for a second consecutive term as Prime Minister. However, the alliance performed disappointingly in Tamil Nadu and delivered embarrassing results. No man – neither EPS nor Modi – was able to repeat the sweeping success that a woman, Jayalalitha, achieved in the state in the 2014 elections.

The decline continued in Tamil Nadu assembly elections also. The EPS-led and Amma-less AIADMK was hoping to retain power, but failed to make a comeback. After a humiliating tally of just one seat in the Lok Sabha elections, the Amma-less party’s strength in the Assembly was further reduced to double digits – which was essential to retain power.Meanwhile, Stalin emerged stronger despite the demise of his father and DMK veteran M Karunanidhi. This was also the DMK’s first election without its longtime patron. However, unlike the AIADMK, the DMK did not see direct infighting or minor internal politics. That relative unity may have helped Stalin consolidate his leadership and establish himself firmly at the top position of the state.

Nothing changes for AIADMK in the 2024 general elections. The party remained at the bottom and failed to win even a single seat this time. The party, once a strong force under the leadership of MG Ramachandran and later his successor Jayalalitha, had been reduced to insignificance in the Lok Sabha elections.

This setback has forced the AIADMK to make a fresh start, while many old leaders are raising doubts about its present. Sasikala and her nephew Dinakaran continue to take aggressive stances in the new era of EPS leadership, while another veteran leader and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam keeps taking digs at the party leadership. For many within the organization, these developments are a far cry from the old, golden days of the party.

From the Vajpayee era to Prime Minister Modi’s recent tribute to “Amma” on her birth anniversary, BJP’s relations with AIADMK have come full circle, alliance, rupture, reunion. Even after electoral setbacks in Tamil Nadu, the saffron party has kept the door open to its old Dravidian ally, indicating once again that political urgency outweighs past differences.Union Home Minister Amit Shah has described the BJP-AIADMK partnership as a “natural alliance” and argued that the 2024 Lok Sabha results would have looked dramatically different if the two had contested the elections together. “We contested together in 1998, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and in the 2021 assembly elections. But in 2024, we contested separately. If our vote shares are added, we will win 36 seats,” he said.For the BJP, the outreach makes clear a difficult truth: Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian voter base is rooted in regional forces, primarily the ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK. To rebuild the broader NDA footprint in the state, the party is also roping in smaller players and former allies.Meanwhile, AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami has described the alliance as “essential” to defeat the “anti-people” DMK regime. “AIADMK will win power in 2026 with an absolute majority… Tamil Nadu has never had such a corrupt, incompetent, anti-people government in its history,” EPS said.This is the latest AIADMK-BJP partnership, once again led by Edappadi K. What Palaniswami has done – now once again positioning himself as Jayalalitha’s political successor and reshaping the party’s lineup, striking a balance with long-time allies who keep him in check – is to once again aim to counter the strong Stalin-led DMK, without Amma’s shadow. Whether this renewed alliance endures or proves to be another short-lived truce will ultimately be decided at the ballot box, as Tamil voters evaluate legacies, leadership and promises in the coming months.